House of Reps Issues New Directive to Rivers Sole Administrator

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has reminded the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), that he is constitutionally required to report to the National Assembly in the course of administering the state.

Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, April 15, during the inauguration of a 21-member Ad-Hoc Committee on Rivers State, Abbas underscored that the caretaker role assigned to Ibas is temporary and must be executed with strict adherence to transparency, accountability, and constitutional provisions.

President Bola Tinubu had on March 18 declared a six-month emergency rule in Rivers State following a deepening political crisis between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly. The president suspended both the governor and the Assembly and appointed Ibas to oversee the state’s affairs. The decision was ratified by both chambers of the National Assembly.

Abbas, while addressing the newly inaugurated committee, urged its members to carry out their duties without bias, reminding them of similar interventions in Nigeria’s democratic history, including emergency declarations in Plateau State (2004), Ekiti State (2006), and the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (2013) during heightened security crises.

He cited Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the National Assembly to legislate for any state whose House of Assembly is unable to perform its functions due to prevailing circumstances. Abbas noted that the laws enacted under such emergency provisions carry the same weight as those passed by the state’s legislature.

According to the Speaker, the committee’s primary responsibility is to monitor the implementation of federal directives in Rivers State, ensure legal compliance by the caretaker administration, and facilitate the return to democratic governance. He stressed that the assignment is of national significance and carries a heavy burden, as Nigerians are watching closely.

Abbas charged the committee to engage with federal agencies, security bodies, and reconciliation efforts while reporting its findings to the House in a transparent manner. He also clarified that the intervention in Rivers is not politically motivated but is driven by a constitutional mandate to uphold peace, security, and good governance.

In response, House Leader and Chairman of the Committee, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, assured that the panel is committed to the task and would not fail the National Assembly or the Nigerian people. He described the committee as one of the strongest ever constituted since 2019 and pledged a diligent, unbiased approach to the assignment.